Herein, we present new approaches for developing sulfonated polyether ether ketone (SPEEK) and polyaniline-based (PANI) actuator formed by film-casting and chemical reduction of Pt electrodes. We have thoroughly studied the synthesis of SPEEK and characterized it by different analytical techniques. The ion-exchange capacity (IEC) and proton conductivity of SPEEK-PANI polymer membrane were calculated to be 1.98 mmol g-1 and 1.97 × 10-3 S cm-1, respectively. To develop an IPMC actuator, SPEEK was combined with PANI through in-situ polymerization method. SEM and XRD were used to check the morphology of the given SPEEK-PANI-Pt membrane. In addition, FT-IR and EDX techniques confirmed the molecular structure and chemical conformation of SPEEK-PANI polymer membrane. Pt electrode layers homogeneously dispersed on the IPMC membrane surface, which was demonstrated by smooth SEM micrographs. The actuation functioning, including the high bending deflection, proton conductivity, current density and IEC of IPMC actuator based on SPEEK-PANI-Pt, was obtained owing to its strong electrochemical and electromechanical characteristics. Synergistic combinations of SPEEK and PANI produced membrane that are flexible, mechanically strong and robust. The developed materials have immense capability as actuators for various applications including in biomimetics and robotics.
Keywords: actuator; biomimetic; composite; ionic polymer-metal composite (IPMC); platinum-coated; proton exchange membrane; robotics; sulfonated polyether ether ketone (SPEEK) polyaniline (PANI) membrane.